


Threats Approval

by saya4haji



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex is badass with threats and emotions, F/F, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Light Swearing, Shovel Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2020-07-17 02:03:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19944211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saya4haji/pseuds/saya4haji
Summary: Threats are the language of an emotionally stunted badass like Alex.Chapter 1: Alex feels it is time she made it clear where she stands on Lena's relationship with Kara.Chapter2: Alex feels guilty and wants to show her love for Lena so what better way than more threats.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rhino (RhinoMouse)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhinoMouse/gifts), [UndineB](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndineB/gifts).



> HI everyone.
> 
> My fried UndineB recommended I do something else and she gave me this prompt: "Shovel talk." This is shameless wish fulfillment on her part but I suppose it could be a nice side conversation that happens when relationships are growing. It was a lot of fun to write and came much more easily(probably because soem scenes are based on my own wonderfully weird family). 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this anyway.

“Oh” Kara whispered as her head cocked to the side and a remorseful expression stole across her face.

Lena smiled indulgently and nodded towards the window, “Go on, go save the day. Alex and I will head over to the bar and grab a table. Join us when you can; and be safe.”

Kara hesitated another moment, even as she shifted from foot to foot with tense energy, unconsciously eager to help others, “I’m so sorry, I’ll be as quick as I can. It’s just a boat in trouble a few miles offshore.”

Alex smiled at her sister and walked up to Lena slinging her arm over the stoic Luthor’s shoulders, “Go on Kara, I’ll keep your girlfriend company. Lord knows you have had to do it often enough with Maggie when I am running late. Now get! If you need help call the DEO.”

Kara smiled at her sister’s reassurance and the friendly companionship between her two favourite people in the world.

“I’ll see you both soon, order me some snacks!” Kara called and shooting Lena one more apologetic look she was gone in a blur of red and blue.

Lena sighed and shrugged out from under Alex’s arm to retrieve her jacket.

Lena rolls her eyes as she pulls on the jacket, “Just a boat in trouble she says, just a few miles off the coast she says. Like it’s nothing!”

Alex laughs dryly as she follows the youngest Luthor through the door, her hands stuffed into her jean’s pockets, “Still struggling with the big S revelation there Lena?”

Lena casts Alex a dirty look, “We’re fine, it’s just how cavalier she is about saving the day. Sometimes I think she really doesn’t grasp how amazing she is. How selfless and wonderful…”

Lena’s eyes softened as she spoke and if Alex isn’t mistaken Lena has totally lost herself in thinking about how ‘amazing’ Kara is. Uh, Alex does not need this level of sappiness. Surely her and Maggie aren’t this bad?

Lena comes back to herself with a faint blush and strides out to the elevator. Lena pushes the down icon on the elevator but to her dismay there is no response. Frustrated, she hits it again and when the button fails to light up she begins pressing it furiously, mumbling under her breath, “Useless…poorly engineered…garbage…How does Kara?..Superspeed…my elevator is never…”

Lena’s furious diatribe is interrupted by Alex who steps up beside Lena and grips her wrist, preventing further vicious button pressing.

“Calm down little Luthor,” Alex says with a smug smile at her use of Maggie’s pet name for Lena. Alex offers a casual wave of her hand to the dead screen above the elevator doors, “It must be broken again, the power is out to the floor indicator.”

Lena’s eyebrows scrunch, “But I used it not half an hour ago when I arrived!” Lena mutters mulishly.

Alex shrugs again even as she steps away from the elevator dragging Luthor by the wrist towards the stairwell, “I used it not ten minutes ago too, but it’s an old building and it’s temperamental. I’ll have Kara call the super when she gets to the bar.”

Lena sighs in defeat and begins walking down the stairs with Alex, at least it is some cardio that will help burn off some of the horrible carbs that Kara will have her snacking on tonight. If only Lena could learn to say no to Kara and those damn puppy dog eyes.

Lena is ready to curse Kara for living on the tenth floor, she knows she needs the altitude for more seamless Supergirl landings and covert take-offs from her window but this is ridiculous. Lena even begins wondering if she should secretly send a team of workers over to replace the elevator herself. A little money and a new elevator, the building owners would surely jump at the offer.

Lena is dragged from her thoughts as they reach the 9th floor by Alex casually asking, “So you and Kara seem to be doing well?”

Lena is immediately more alert. This sounds ominous, “I like to think so. It will be our three month anniversary next week,” Lena replies cautiously.

She obviously doesn’t do a very good job of hiding her trepidation because Alex smiles widely and through soft laughter tells Lena, “That’s good Lena. Calm down, you look like I’m about to tell you to stay away from my sister or something.”

Lena flinches at the idea because it was one of the thoughts that had briefly run through her mind. The first two weeks of dating Kara had almost made Lena a nervous wreck, she has expected Alex to turn up on her doorstep and start threatening her, or like James had, try to talk Kara out of dating her. Alex had been surprisingly supportive, quietly observant the first few times they met and hung out before giving way to a quiet acceptance.

“You’re not?” Lena asks hesitantly, trying, and failing to make it sound like a joke.

Alex’s face falls slightly at Lena’s question before she reaches across to squeeze Lena’s shoulder.

“You make Kara happy Lena, more than anyone else ever has, and more than that, you accept her for who she is. You don’t try to change her, you just love her.”

Before Lena can put rational thought into what she is saying she replies, “I do love her.” Lena’s mouth slams shut. Words she has only ever uttered to Lionel, Lex and her birth mother have just escaped Lena and to Kara’s sister of all people. Not even Kara herself yet!

Lena’s face must betray her shock as they have screeched to a halt at the top of the sixth floor landing.

Alex squeezes Lena’s shoulder again and her face becomes a strange mix of joy and guilt.

“I’m glad to hear that Lena, and I know Kara will be too. I’m just annoyed you had to say it now because it makes this next part really awkward but all the more necessary.”

Before Lena can grasp what the hell Alex is talking about Alex snaps into motion. The hand that had been squeezing Lena’s shoulder with gentle comfort becomes an iron vice and Alex hauls Lena forward, spinning her around so her back faces the steep stairwell and pushes her forward.

For one heart stopping moment Lena feels like she is falling and time seems to stand still. Lena’s usually genius mind stalls and the only thought she can compute is that she is going to die here in Kara’s stairwell, at the hand of Alex Danvers, for some unknown reason. Alex’s face which was warm and gentle but a moment ago is set into a cold mask as she watches Lena fall, her arms wind milling and her 4inch Christian Louis Vuitton heels fail spectacularly to find purchase on the stair’s edge.

Time speeds up again and like a viper striking at its prey Alex’s hand snaps out and grabs Lena by the front of her shirt halting her fall.

Lena tries to reach forward to grab Alex’s arm but all her weight and gravity is pulling her down. Alex gives a little shake and Lena squeaks in fright, her feet desperately trying to find purchase on the teetering edge of the step. One false move, or if Alex lets go, and Lena will plummet down the stairs, the steep, old stairs of this dreadful building which will likely break her God damn neck.

Lena can feel her heart racing and her breaths gasping in and out.

“Alex!” Lena gasps buts before she can manage much more Alex interrupts her.

“I may approve of you Lena, we may even be friends but lets get one thing clear. If you hurt ever betray my sister, break her heart… in any way, I will kill you. Where your so-called genius brother failed, where millionaire masterminds like Edge and futuristic technology failed I will succeed. There is nowhere in this universe or any other you can hide from me, and if I ever come for you it will be like this. There won’t be some obscure poison or expensive drone. The obituary will just read that you tripped going down some stairs one morning, or that you slipped and cracked your skull in the shower or choked on a cherry vine tomato in one of your $80 salads. Something so mundane no-one will even wonder about it. Do you understand me?”

Lena’s mind struggles to process Alex’s speech…she approves of her and Kara but she is threatening her? What the fuck sort of psycho is Alex Danvers?

Alex grunts and shakes Lena again reminding her of her precarious position. A small part of Lena’s mind can’t help but be impressed by Alex’s upper body strength as she hold’s Lena’s body weight on the stairs edge with a single hand.

“Do you understand?” Alex repeats aggressively.

Lena nods rapidly, “Yes!” she gasps in a terrified whisper.

“Good” Alex declares in that same cold dead voice before heaving Lena back away from the stairs and onto the safety of the landing. Lena lands in a tangle of limbs but almost immediately scurries backwards fixing Alex Danvers with a poisonous look and plastering her back against the safety of the wall.

Alex stands back as far as possible and raises her hands as though in surrender, her cold mask breaking and a guilty, worried expression tears across her classic features.

Lena gasps for air, trying desperately to get her breathing under control and tamp down the terror that is roaring through her veins. Lena has nearly died many times, but never has she felt so close to death, never has she felt like she was on the cusp of it and what makes it worse is that it came so unexpectedly from someone she trusts.

“You…You stay back,” Lena says shakily to Alex.

If possible, Alex looks even more guilty and upset which is just fucking wrong in Lena’s book because she is the one who just threatened murder!

“You need to calm down Lena, nice deep even breaths. I swear I’m not going to hurt you, I just…shit, you’re important to Kara, you had to get the shovel talk like all the rest, it’s a thing.”

Lena manages to calm her breathing enough to finally grasp the logic of what Alex is saying, “A shovel speech? How fucking old are you Alex, we’re not 14 or bloody red necks! You scared the shit out of me!”

Alex looks mildly chastised and even a little shocked at the usually reserved Luthor’s use of profanity but ultimately she shrugs helplessly, “That is kind of the point. And hey, you’re not going to avoid Kara over this are you?”

Lena looks offended before a smug smile graces her lips and she cocks an eyebrow, “I can hardly shun Kara for having a psycho for a sibling.”

Alex snorts, “You would be surprised. You’re doing better than Jace Stevenson.”

Lena looks equal parts intrigued and wary, “Who?”

Alex gestures for Lena to proceed her down the stairs, “Please, the threatening part of the day is over. I’ll explain on the way but we can’t be late to the bar or Kara will know something is off.”

Lena’s eyes become steely, “Who says I won’t tell Kara? I can hardly imagine she would be fine with your threats.”

“You won’t tell her, and even if you do it wouldn’t matter,” Alex shrugs unconcerned.

“And how do you work that out?” Lena sniped, anger overriding her fear now.

Alex shrugs again and smiles at Lena, an almost proud air to the gesture, “You know how much I love Kara and how much she hates being angry at me. You won’t tell Kara because you don’t want to damage our relationship, because you don’t want to hurt Kara by making her argue with me.”

Lena opens her mouth to argue but slowly closes it again. Well shit, Alex is right. When the hell did Lena become so easy to read? Lena knows she won’t say anything because hurting Kara isn’t worth Lena’s own hurt pride or fear.

Lena scowls and deflects, “Who is Jace Stevenson and why wouldn’t it matter if I told Kara?” Lena asks.

Alex smiles smugly at the silent admission that Lena won’t tell Kara of her threats.

Alex gestures again at the stairwell and with only mild hesitance which Lena tries valiantly to cover she steps forward and begins walking down the stairs again, her hand gripped tightly to the banister and her eyes watching Alex at her side like a hawk.

Alex sighs but follows suit, “Jace Stevenson was Kara’s first, sort of boyfriend in High school and also the reason I know that ultimately it wouldn’t matter if you told Kara about my shovel speech.”

“Sort of boyfriend?” Lena asks, her curiosity and no small amount of jealous peaked.

Alex smiles as they reach the fifth floor and nods, warming to the tale, “He asked Kara out and she agreed but he had a bit of a reputation. Anyway, before their first date I waited for him after school. He was a real jock, star of the wrestling team and he always stayed late on Wednesday. He came swaggering out of practice over to his truck where I was sitting waiting for him. He couldn’t figure out why I was there but I had a little demonstration set up for him. I used a slim jim to open his truck, and opened the bonnet. He thought it was funny at first. Then I pulled out a needle and pointed to his brake line and explained how I had calculated the amount of break fluid in his car and the time at which I would need to puncture the line in order for enough fluid to leak out for his breaks to fail just as he comes to the bad bend by the coastal drop on his drive home.”

Lena looks equal parts amused and horrified, “how old were you?”

“17” Alex replies with a guilty shrug.

“I gave him the shovel talk, said if my sister wanted to date him it was fine but if he didn’t treat her right then he would meet an unfortunate accident one day. Needless to say he cancelled his date with Kara the next day. Kara was pissed when she found out but eventually, she came around, she realized that if he was scared off by little old human me then he could never deal with her alien-ness.”

“So it’s a test?” Lena asks.

“Sort of, but also a statement of fact. I do like you Lena, you do make Kara happy but we’re protective of each other, if you hurt her I will come for you.” Alex says almost apologetically.

“You mean you’re a protective psycho, Kara may mother hen the Superfriends but she isn’t going around threatening people.”

Alex gets an introspective look and her voice seems to come from far away as though reflecting on something from the distant past, “I was always told by my parents it was my responsibility to look after Kara, to protect her. I was 13 when it started and after Dad died and mom had to work so much it got worse. Kara was my responsibility, mine to protect. This girl, the last of her species, totally indestructible but so very fragile, with a heart so easily bruised. I know my protectiveness is obsessive, I have the therapist reports telling me so, I put my own sexuality, identity and happiness second to Kara’s safety, I chose a job based on her needs when I joined the DEO and I have thrown myself into more near suicidal missions to protect my near invulnerable sister than she will ever know about. I know my protectiveness is weird, that it makes me a bit of a psycho Lena but I won’t apologise for it, for the juvenileness of the shovel speech because to me it’s necessary.”

Lena watched Alex, examining the woman in a whole new light.

“Thank you,” Lena whispered.

Alex jerked from her reverie at the words, “What?!”

Lena smiled softly and reached across the safe space she had cultivated between herself and Alex to take her hand in a soft squeeze of gratitude, “Thank you for protecting her. For always being there for her. She is everything to me and I never really grasped how much of who she is, is because of you.”

Alex blushed violently and turned away, brushing tears from her eyes and coughing, “Whatever, Kara is the ray of sunshine because that is who she is, I’m just the badass secret agent who cleans up her messes. Besides, turnabout is fair play.”

Lena cocked a brow deciding to let Alex’s self-deprecation pass. It seems they have done enough deep emotions this evening. “Care to elaborate?”

Alex’s smile turned mischievous, “Kara gave Maggie the shovel speech too ya know?”

Lena snorted at the idea of her stuttering girlfriend trying to seem threatening to Maggie. Maggie had the unique ability to fluster Kara with her innuendoes and her gregarious personality seeming impervious to embarrassment or fear, “What did Kara do, threaten to pout at Maggie if she was mean to you, or wait, no, she probably put her hands on her hips in the Supergirl pose and said she would ‘make her regret it.’ Ha, I bet Maggie was quaking in her boots, poor Kara she is about as threatening as a golden retriever.”

Alex’s smile if anything grew before she casually replied, “Nah she just told Maggie that she would melt her face off with her heat vision and throw her body into the sun so there was no evidence if she ever hurt me.”

Lena nearly topples down the stairs as she misses a step in shock. Alex’s quick reflexes alone catching Lena before she falls. Lena can’t help but be amused by the parity of the action, from threat to saviour in only 4 flights of stairs.

“She what?” Lena almost screeches.

Alex’s eyes dance with merriment.

“I have never seen Maggie go so pale.”

“That is an oddly specific threat, “Lena replies, trying to find something to say in the face of this new facet of her girlfriend.

Alex laughs, “I know, when I asked Kara about it she said that a vague disclaimer is nobodies friend.”

Lena nods in agreement. From her limited use of threats she supposes that makes sense but Lena can barely comprehend the idea of Kara being threatening, although now that she thinks about it Lena has a whole new respect for Maggie. Dating the sister of one of the most powerful beings on the planet, and teasing her often about their sex life, that takes guts.

They have come to the last flight of stairs and Lena can’t help but ask, “So did every potential partner of Kara’s get this little shovel speech? Is it like a right of passage?”

Alex hums, “Only the ones who actually have the potential to hurt Kara. People she actually seems to feel something for. I didn’t bother with James for example. I knew that wasn’t going anywhere even before Kara did, she liked the idea of him because he already knew her secrets but that was it. They fizzled before it even began. Mon El got it twice.”

Lena snorts, “Well he was either too stupid to listen or I have less to worry about from your threats than I thought. “

Something dark flashes in Alex’s eyes for a moment before she calmly replies, “He was gone after the invasion before I could make good on my threat and as for the second time when he came back…well he wasn’t here long was he? He toddled back to the future where he belonged.”

Something in Alex’s voice made Lena pause. Something dark and threatening, filled with unspoken knowledge.

“You had something to do with him _deciding_ to return to the future?” Lena accuses in a whisper.

Alex scowls, “He was toying with Kara’s feelings, hurting her. He had a wife and he was repeating the same mistakes as before, playing with Kara’s emotions, manipulating her, making her question her abilities. I may have had a conversation with him about the low number of friendly fire instances the DEO has had in the past ten years and how statistically we were overdue a friendly fire incident, perhaps even with a causality considering the live lead rounds we use and the often frenzied combat conditions we fight in.”

Lena knows she shouldn’t smile but she hated Mon El and besides, without him, she got her shot with Kara. “Holy shit, you threatened to shoot him.”

Alex’s face goes blank again and Lena’s heart stutters in remembered fear of what happened the last time she saw that look, “No,” Alex whispers, “I didn’t threaten him. I told him point blank if he didn’t go back to the future and leave my sister alone I would “accidently” blow his fucking brains out the next time we had a live ammo alien incident in the city.”

They have reached the pokey lobby of Kara’s building and Lena is trying to digest the revelations about this woman she has tentatively called a friend. Alex Danvers is definitely not the benign big sister she had thought she was.

“So…are we good?” Lena asks hesitantly, hating how her voice shakes a little.

Alex seems to shake off her dark thoughts and offers Lena a small smile.

“You may hurt Kara some day Lena, that is the amazing thing about the people we love, they have that unique power. But, so long as you love my sister and don’t break her heart I have no problem with you. Hell, it’s nice having someone around who can understand half of the stuff I talk about instead of just nodding and smiling indulgently like Kara and Maggie do half the time.”

Lena laughs, “Yes, the riveting work of xenobiology and engineering.”

Lena makes to head to the buildings door when Alex steps past her, “One second, “ she says before vaulting like some parkour expert off the old lobby radiator and landing seated astride the old behemoth of a postal unit to reach the fuse box in the top right corner of the lobby. With practiced ease Alex opened the fuse box, pulls a fuse from her jeans pocket and plugs it back in.

The hum of the elevator sounds to Lena’s right and the lights on the panel come to life as Alex jumps down.

“Ready?” Alex asks casually.

“You engineered this whole thing?” Lena asks in astonishment.

“Yep!” Alex replies, popping the p at the end.

“The boat emergency Kara went to?” Lena asks with narrowing eyes.

Alex smiles unrepentantly, “I was owed a favour by NCIS. Now come on, my girlfriend will be waiting and we need to order Kara some snacks at the bar, she’ll be back soon.”

Lena can’t help but think how well Alex played her. Hesitating for but a moment she sighs and follows after the cocky elder Danvers sister. Maggie is truly a bad influence on her.

Nevertheless, Lena has no intention of ever truly hurting Kara or breaking her heart so the threat means very little. No that is a lie, it means a lot. It is acceptance from Alex that Lena Luthor is someone important to Kara, someone with such a unique hold on Kara’s heart that she is worth threatening.

Perversely, Lena suddenly feels very warm and flattered by the threat. How very Luthor like of the Danvers.


	2. Reciprocity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena needs a hug but Alex doesn't do hugs. She does awesome threats that show her inner squishy side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a threat is worth a thousand 'I love yous' and a hundred declarations of 'You're one of us.'

“Thank you, Kenneth,” Lena says with a bright smile as she rises elegantly from the back of her town car.

Kenneth returns Miss Luthor’s warm smile and offers her the small overnight bag she had packed for her overnight stay with Miss Danvers.

Personally, the thought of Miss Luthor staying anywhere but her fortified penthouse made him a little nervous. On the other hand, staying with Miss Kara Danvers always makes Miss Luthor so happy, so Kenneth reassures himself that Miss Luthor’s security team must be alright with this arrangement. Miss Luthor is friendly enough with Supergirl and Alex Danvers is some sort of Federal Agent so far as he remembers, so she should be safe enough for a game night here.

“You’re welcome Miss Luthor. I will be back to pick you up at seven tomorrow morning,” Kenneth states professionally as he closes the door.

Lena grips her overnight bag in front of herself and blushes slightly as she throws eager looks at the entrance to Kara’s apartment building.

“Um,no…I was actually thinking of starting a little later tomorrow morning. Would you mind picking me up at 8:30?” Lena asks hesitantly with a deepening blush.

Kenneth’s smile grows wider and his eyes glint impishly, “You’re the boss Miss Luthor and I won’t say no to an extra hour in bed.”

Lena coughs slightly and turns to head towards the apartment building, “Yes, quite. Well have a nice evening Kenneth.”

Kenneth rounds the vehicle and just before he jumps into the car he calls out, “Have a nice evening with Miss Danvers Miss Luthor. Try to get **_some_** sleep.”

Lena whirls around, flushed in embarrassment at the obvious innuendo but her driver and car are already speeding off. She huffs good naturedly and mutters under her breath, “Just the mention of the name Luthor used to inspire fear, but you date just one ray of cuddly sunshine and you’re ruined. Now everyone is a comedian.”

Lena shakes her head with a rueful sigh but can’t help the soft smile that curves her blood red lips. Having this friendly camaraderie with her employees is new and all down to Kara Danvers.

Her loyal secretary Jess, Kenneth her driver and even the usually stoic Mr Mullens who heads up her personal security has been won over by Kara. By some strange proximal effect their friendlier relationship and interactions with Kara have spread to Lena too, and Lena finds herself revelling in the newfound ease of personal interactions and small talk.

Lena punches in the security code on the weathered and rusty door lock of Kara’s building before pushing the squeaky door open. The foyer is warm and her heals click on the mosaic tiles.

Deep growling, muttered curses and the sound of flesh hitting abused metal draws Lena’s attention to the elevator on the far left of the foyer.

Alex Danvers carrying a plastic bag weighed down with what appears to be a bottle of scotch and numerous pints of ice cream is having a heated argument with the elevator.

“Useless, rusty piece of junk,” Alex mutters as she jabs her finger at the brass call button repeatedly.

With each press the call button lights up briefly and then dims with a faint buzzing sound.

***-click-bzz-click-bzz-click-buzz-***

In frustration, Alex slaps the front of the call buttons casing, glances sharply at the floor display dial and curses again, “Come on, work damn it! This freaking ice-cream is melting! Stupid, ancient piece of crap!”

Alex loses all patience and swings a kick at the tarnished brass doors of the elevator. The loud clang of steel toed boots meeting brass doors rings out.

Lena can’t hold it anymore, she guffaws loudly.

“Ha, ha, ha-ha-ha, Oh how the mighty Agent Danvers has fallen. Defeated by an elevator,” Lena calls.

Alex whirls to face Lena. Her face flushed and angry, “Luthor. How long have you been standing there?”

Lena saunters forward smirking, “Long enough to realise that my brother used the completely wrong approach. The best of the DEO can be bested by an out of date elevator.”

Alex cocks her brow and angles her hip with hands at her waist, “I would like to see you do better.”

Lena huffs, and accepting the challenge without any further words, she marches to the elevator call panel. Dropping her overnight bag, she pulls a Leatherman tool from a side pocket. At Alex’s questioning look Lena smirks and holds up three fingers on her right hand, “Girl scouts are always prepared.”

Alex snorts and rolls her eyes, “If you were a girl scout as a kid, then I did ballet in a pretty pink tutu.”

Lena flicks open a screwdriver from the tool and makes short work of the two screws holding the panel to the wall. “I would pay to see that,” Lena jokes.

Alex smiles wickedly, “Wouldn’t you just. My legs are kickass, but I am afraid these legs belong only to Maggie.”

Lena rolls her eyes as she pries the panel from the wall, “Maggie is welcome to your legs, because no offence but Kara’s are so much-“

“Eww, no! That is my sister Luthor! Keep your pervy thoughts to yourself!” Alex cries.

Lena wiggles her eyebrows dramatically and laughs. Her humour is short lived though and cuts off quickly as she gets her first clear look inside the control panel of the elevator.

“Holy shit,” Lena swears as she looks at the Gordian knot of wires that are stuffed behind the innocuous panel.

Alex leans in close to see inside and she whistles in surprises, “Wow. That is ridiculous. Is that chewing gum and a Band-Aid holding those two wires together?”

Lena gawks and flinches back as though personally offended by the shoddy workmanship, “How is there this many wires in here, there is just one call button for crying out loud!”

Alex laughs, “Yeah, this building is like a hundred years old and the poor janitor looks like he has been making repairs here for like sixty of those. Go easy on him Luthor.”

Lena throws Alex a disgusted look, “This is the third time this month this elevator has broken and this wiring can’t be safe…or legal.”

Alex shrugs, “Welcome to the rent-controlled side of down town.”

Lena sighs and begins reaffixing the panel to hide the horror show of wires.

Lena rises with a mournful and pleading look at Alex, “Do you think your sister would believe it was a coincidence if a top of the line elevator was donated and installed into this building sometime this week?”

Alex snorts, “Have the delivery people throw in some nonsense about it being part of a neighbourhood regeneration grant and she won’t look too closely at it.”

Lena hums and tilts her head to skewer Alex through narrowed eyes, “And you wouldn’t rat me out?”

Alex turns and drags herself towards the stairs, “Considering we have to climb ten flights of stairs and we will likely have to listen to Winn, James, Maggie and Lucy bitch about it too when they get here?- I ain’t saying shit if a new elevator magically arrives and saves us having to do a repeat performance.”

Lena nods happily and makes a mental note to see about the elevator tomorrow.

She walks over to join Alex at the stairs, but as Alex begins to ascend Lena hesitates.

Alex is almost to the top of the first flight before she notices that Lena hasn’t joined her.

Gazing down at the young Luthor, Alex makes a sweeping gesture of invitation to her side, “Are you joining me Luthor or do you need a written invite?”

Lena narrows an angry, suspicious look at Alex, “I was just having an unfortunate flashback to the last time the elevator conveniently died and I had to use the stairs with you.”

Alex flushes guiltily as the memory from a few months ago flashes into her mind, “Uh no, I had nothing to do with this. Scouts honour!” Alex swears as she mimics Lena’s earlier gesture.

Lena examines Alex’s face and body language trying to find any indication of deceit. Alex offers a sorrowful and innocent look that reminds Lena of Kara. With a defeated sigh Lena gives in and begins to climb the stairs, “Fine, but if you threaten to throw me down these stairs again I will take it personally this time.”

Alex’s face is deeply flushed and she rubs the back of her neck awkwardly, “Yeah, you only get one ‘shovel speech’ so you have filled your quota, and I really don’t want Kara to give me the disappointed, sad look.”

Lena laughs softly, “Oh I know that look. She pulls it out every time I threaten to eat the last potsticker. I feel safer already knowing the nuclear option is keeping you in line.”

Alex nods with a small smile and the two women ascend another flight of stairs in silence. All the while Alex keeps casting calculating and hesitant looks at Lena from the corner of her eye.

As they reach the third floor Lena sighs, “Out with it Danvers. I can hear you thinking, and your giving me a migraine. Whatever you say can’t be any worse than the last conversation we had on these stairs.”

Alex flushes again and her lips purse before she throws her hands up, almost spilling the ice-cream from her shopping bag, “Do you hold it against me?”

Lena stalls on the first step of the fourth floor, “Hold what against you?”

Alex looks slightly angry now and she gestures frantically at the space between them, “The ‘shovel speech!’ Me, threatening you?”

Lena is surprised and, in her attempt to buy herself time to think of a response, she begins climbing the fourth flight of stairs before she answers, “Not really. I understand the sentiment behind it. If anything, it was reassuring”

Lena shrugs uncomfortably and keeps her eyes on the stairs before her.

Alex though, is undeterred, and if anything, is now intrigued, “You understand? Are reassured?”

Lena sighs and shoots Alex a dry sarcastic look, “My family knows something about unhealthy obsession Alex, and I lived in Ireland for a time. I understand the culture that makes people want to seek assurances that someone will be careful with their family. In a world where 50% of marriages end in divorce and 20% of marriages that survive, still suffer at least one incidence of adultery...I can understand the primal need of family to instigate a little fear as an added incentive to be careful with their loved ones.”

Alex nods absently but now looks sheepish, “I hadn’t actually thought about it as logically as that. I just needed you to know that you are important to Kara and that means you could hurt her in ways no one else could. I just…I always want to protect her, she has lost so much and been hurt so much already.”

Lena nods in understanding, “Honestly, I was a little flattered. Afterwards, obviously, when I could think about it logically and wasn’t terrified. You threatening me was a reassurance that I was important enough to Kara to warrant a genuine Alex Danvers ‘shovel speech.’ I was also a little pleased that there was someone equally as unhinged as me about Kara’s safety. Every time someone new enters her life I have to push down the irrational urge to threaten them into being nice to her. The fact Snapper Carr still has a job, or even continues to be present amongst the living, is a testament to my control and the fact I am different to the rest of my family. I understood your sentiment.”

Alex smiles in sympathy. “Hey, if you ever want to arrange an accident for Snapper, give me a call,” Alex laughs.

Lena smiles and revels in this odd moment of companionship with Alex.

“I’ll bear that in mind. Don’t worry about the ‘shovel speech’ Alex. It was scary at the time, but in hindsight: a family member making a person promise not to breakup with or hurt someone they love seems less weird to me than getting them to promise the same before a mystical sky father or a stranger in a dress or fancy costume proclaiming themselves as some moral or spiritual community authority.”

Alex freezes on the steps, “Did you just compare the promise my ‘shovel speech’ extracted from you to marriage?”

Lena blushes a brilliant red and her mouth gapes. Her eyes dart all over the stairwell and she tries to find the words to defuse this shitshow that she has walked into.

Lena has just revealed to Alex Danvers that she considers Kara her one and only, that she considers her oath to Alex to not hurt Kara and to love her in this stairwell as binding as marriage. Well fuck.

Alex watches the shock and realisation dawn on Lena’s face, the conflict and then the sad resignation.

Alex can almost see Lena shutting down. Her low self-esteem preparing her for Alex to castigate her.

Alex smiles tenderly and gently bumps her shoulder against Lena, “Well, it’s good to know you took my ‘shovel speech’ seriously.”

Lena looks hesitantly at Alex through the curtain of her hair.

After a pregnant pause she takes a deep breath.

“It was hard not to take you seriously Alex. I was dangling off these very stairs after all,” Lena deflects as she gestures towards the sixth flight of stairs they are ascending.

Lena’s eyes get lost for a moment, “I have to admit being a bit envious actually. Lex never stood up for me like you do for Kara. He would think wanting to protect me like that was somehow enabling my own weakness or that I wasn’t worth his time and effort unless there was something in it for him. You know, like threatening someone would mean I owed him something. And the people who actually care about me: Jess, Kenneth, Mr Mullen, they would never cross that line into my private life, which is probably a good thing since my human friends threatening Supergirl would be a bit redundant. And Sam doing it would be potentially trigger for both her and Kara.”

Alex smiles sadly and pats Lena’s shoulder reassuringly, “Oh I don’t know, I think Jess is plenty capable of terrifying Kara.”

Lena snorts a laugh, “Maybe. Knowing Kara, she would likely forget she is invulnerable if Jess gave her a ‘shovel speech.’ She would get so adorably flustered.”

Lena’s eyes become distant and affectionate as she thinks of Kara.

Alex’s brow furrows in thought and she wraps her arm around Lena’s shoulders as they reach the eighth flight of stairs, “You are worth a ‘shovel speech’ Lena, and you have people who care about you. You know that right?”

Lena shifts uncomfortably and self-consciously but doesn’t throw off Alex’s arm from around her shoulders.

“Sure,” Lena mumbles unconvincingly.

Alex’s eyes watch her worriedly.

The two women ascend the last two flights of stairs in silence. When they reach Kara’s apartment door, Alex reluctantly removes her arm from the comforting embrace around Lena’s shoulders to retrieve her spare key for the door.

The two women bustle into Kara’s apartment and are immediately greeted by Kara, “Hi Alex, Lena!”

Kara finishes setting bowls of snacks on the coffee table in the sitting area and then rises to greet her sister and girlfriend.

Kara hugs Alex, “Oh, ice cream!” she cries as she peaks down at Alex’s bag.

Alex rolls her eyes and detaches from her sister to put the ice cream in the freezer and pour herself a drink, “I see your priorities Kara. No ice cream until after dinner and at least one round of Pictionary!”

Kara pouts at Alex dramatically, but with her sister’s back to her as she deposits ice cream in the freezer she is free to dart forward and give Lena a deep kiss of greeting.

Lena melts into Kara but there is tension in her shoulders. The niggling voice in Lena’s head from the stairwell whispers to her, telling her that the friends she has are only there because of Kara. Telling her that she is unworthy of having anyone to stand for her, to give a ‘shovel speech’ for her. Hell, if Kara left her, Lena would surely lose all of these friends who were really Kara’s friends.

“HI babe,” Kara whispers barely an inch from Lena’s lips.

A soft smile overtakes Lena’s lips, “Hello love.” Lena hikes her overnight bag, “I’ll just drop my bag in your room.”

“Sure,” Kara nods and with a departing peck on the lips she lets Lena brush past her.

Kara watches Lena hurry off to her bedroom with stiff shoulders.

Kara’s eyes narrow as she watches her girlfriend almost flee.

With narrowed eyes, Kara turns to her sister who is now pulling free her bottle of scotch and hoaking out a small tumbler.

Kara glides towards her sister and whispers lowly, “What’s wrong with Lena? She seems…tense?”

Alex’s eyes dart towards the corner around which Lena had disappeared and she affects a carless shrug, “Your elevator is broken again, and we had to climb like a bazillion stairs. That is enough to annoy anyone.”

Kara groans, “Not again.”

She leans against the breakfast bar and rubs her forehead, “I will have to speak with poor Mr. Janovich. He is getting too old to manage all the repairs alone. Maybe I could offer to help out?”

Alex smiles into her scotch as she sips leisurely before rolling her eyes indulgently at her sisters soft heartedness, “And what exactly do you know about elevator repairs? Or running the buffing machine on the hall tiles? And that is assuming you would have time between Catco and Supergirl duties?”

Kara’s shoulder’s slump. Alex decides she will lay the groundwork for Lena’s scheme and she reaches across to place a reassuring hand on Kara’s across the breakfast bar, “Hey, it’ll be alright. I’ll speak with Mr. Janovich and Maggie has a contact with a community group that has access to community and historic building restoration grants. This place is over a century old, I’m sure they can offer some help.”

Kara’s smile lights up and she looks at Alex with such trust and hope that for a moment Alex feels terrible about fibbing to her sister. Kara really is too trusting of Alex sometimes.

Before Alex can admit the truth, Kara’s smile dims and she cocks her head to the side slightly in the direction of her bedroom.

“Lena is taking an awfully long time to put her stuff in my room.” Kara drops her glasses and x-rays the kitchen wall to see Lena slowly, almost reluctantly unpacking her overnight bag, She folds a night shirt with precise, slow movements and places it beneath the pillow on her side of the bed. She lifts out her shampoo and bath gel from the bags side pockets and sets them on the dresser before returning to the bag to repeat the journey for her makeup bag. Kara frowns. It’s like Lena is dragging out the small act of unpacking. Her face is the cold blankness that tells Kara that there are a whirl of thoughts moving beneath the surface. Usually not good ones.

Kara is pulled from her voyeuristic tendencies and deep thoughts by the white bones of her sister’s hand waving in front of her eyes.

Kara shuts down her x-ray vision and snaps back to reality. She pushes her glasses up to look back at her sister who is frowning at her.

“How many times have we discussed the no peaking rule Kara? It’s rude, voyeuristic and an invasion of privacy,” Alex reprimands in a tone which implies this is an old argument and a well worn complaint.

Kara gives a guilty smile, like a child who has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, before she straightens her shoulders and narrows her eyes on her sister,

“What did you and Lena discuss on the walk up all those stairs? She seems off. Alex if you said something to upset Lena..”

Alex’s face flies open in innocence and her hands wave in front of herself defensively, spilling Scotch in her rapid movements. Alex can see Kara is building up to a level nine ramble in defence of Lena and she really doesn’t want to argue with her sister.

“I didn’t say anything. I promise…we were just discussing family and stuff. Or rather Lena was commenting on her lack of it.”

Kara’s aggressive demeanour drops as fast as it came and a downcast shadow eclipses her usual effervescent joy, “But Lena has family, we are…” Kara begins sadly.

Alex circles the breakfast bar to pull her sister into a warm and reassuring hug, “Shh Kara. Of course she has us. but I think, maybe sometimes she misses having family that was just hers. Family for her to share her happiness with. To share you with, and to share the milestones of her relationship with. Lena doesn’t really have anyone to call and gossip to about you, to share childhood dreams with and how you measure up, or to introduce you to with those butterflies in her belly as she waits for approval.”

Kara slumps into Alex, “My meeting the parents wasn’t exactly traditional I admit but being kidnapped by Cadmus was a hell of a way to meet my future girlfriend’s mother.”

Alex huffs as she pulls back from the hug. A half grimace wrinkling her lips, “Yeah, I think Lena would have preferred something more traditional for you. Maybe just the meet and greet dinner that she and Eliza did, you know? Lena and I were discussing traditions and family acceptance. I think sometimes she is sad because she knows she will never get those moments with you. She doesn’t have anyone to stand beside her and say how wonderful she is and pass judgement on you in that slightly scary but good-natured way family does.”

Kara’s eyes have a definite sheen of tears and she sniffles, “I can empathise a bit. When I lost Krypton I lost that too. But then I have Kal-El even if he doesn’t always feel like family, and I have you and Eliza and J’onn. I wish there was something I could do. I hate seeing her so sad. She deserves to have all of those experiences and to have a family to share the joys of her life, her relationship with. Maybe I should call Sam?”

Alex grimaces slightly, “Maybe. I think Sam is still on her National City detox. Too many memories. While I am sure she would love to be there for Lena…it’s complicated for her, especially since it’s you.”

Kara grimaces at the complexities and terrible memories that Reign still throws up between herself, Sam and Lena. Kara hates that the distance which has grown so wide between Sam and Lena is partially her fault. Sam still calls Lena routinely but the revelation that Kara is Supergirl was too much for Sam and set her recovery back a step as she dealt with PTSD flashbacks.

Kara’s head slumps as she squeezes Alex’s biceps, “I just wish there was something I could do. I hate seeing Lena sad.”

Alex looks over Kara’s shoulders and then with a determined whisper tells Kara, “Maybe there is. Just roll with it.”

Kara’s brows scrunch in confusion, “What?”

The clicking of Lena’s heals precedes her entrance back into the kitchen and then she rounds the corner just in time to see Alex use a modified Brazilian Jujitsu Leg sweep to take Kara from a standing position to dangling a bare few inches from the floor.

Lena freezes in shock. The scene before her so unimaginably strange. Alex. Protective, caring Alex is holding Kara barely inches from the ground in an iron grip.

Alex’s face is stone cold, her eyes narrowed and dark. A fierce, restrained rage glittering in their depths.

Kara looks genuinely afraid and, in her shock, seems to have forgotten that she is invulnerable and can fly as she dangles helplessly from Alex’s grip, gazing up into her sisters alien expression.

Alex’s voice is monotone and threatening when she speaks, her hot breath fanning Kara’s face, “Let’s get one thing straight Kara: I’m your sister, and because I love you, I can’t ever cause you permanent harm. But, if you hurt or ever betray Lena, break her heart… in any way, I will beat the shit out of you. Where villains and aliens failed, I will succeed. Lena makes you happier than anyone ever has. She is smart, kind, loving, stupidly selfless and quickly becoming one of my favourite people alongside you and Maggie. So if you ever hurt her or treat her like anything but the fucking princess she is…you’ll wake up one day with Kryptonite on your pillow and me with brass knuckles waiting to beat some sense into your alien ass. Do you understand me?”

Kara’s mind struggles to process Alex’s speech…she approves of Lena and her but she is threatening her? Kara’s friends were right, her sister is a psycho. Kara struggles to put her sister’s actions into some sort of context with their previous conversation.

Alex grunts and shakes Kara to regain her attention. A small part of Kara’s mind can’t help but be impressed by Alex’s upper body strength as she holds Kara’s body weight with no sign of strain. Kara’s alien musculature and density means that is no mean feat.

“Do you understand?” Alex repeats aggressively.

Kara nods rapidly, “Yes!” she gasps in a terrified whisper.

“Good” Alex declares in that same cold, dead voice, before heaving Kara back to her feet.

Kara wobbles for a moment in a confused daze as she tries to make sense of what has just happened.

Alex calmly retrieves her Scotch, pours a second tumbler and walk towards Lena. The apartment is deathly silent and still.

Alex holds out the tumbler of Scotch to Lena which she accepts with numb fingers on auto pilot. Her emerald eyes are huge and staring at Alex like she has grown a second head.

Alex smiles cockily and raises her hand to gently close Lena’s gaping mouth.

“You’re one of ours now Luthor, so no-one gets to mess with you, not even my own sister. And that means I get to threaten anyone I want to treat you right. You’re worth standing up for. Your worth protecting.”

Kara is frozen like a statue. Lena’s mouth gapes open and closed as she stares at Alex’s mischievous smile, “You-you, you gave your sister the ‘shovel talk!’ For me?”

Lena’s eyes glisten with tears as her self-control wavers.

Alex blushes slightly and gives a one shouldered shrug, “Someone had to. You’re the best thing that ever happened to the idiot…well, since she got me as a sister of course. Come on, let’s set up the Pictionary board.”

Lena’s control seems to break, and she staggers forward to wrap Alex in a hug. The two women stand stiff for a moment before Alex sighs in defeat and wraps her arms around Lena.

Alex mutters under her breath, “You all are ruining my reputation. Making me soft.”

Kara seems to regain her wits as she sees her sister and girlfriend embracing. “Oh Alex, you gave me the shovel speech, for Lena…oh Alex...that’s adorable!”

Kara speeds across the room and engulfs her sister and girlfriend in her arms. Alex grumbles, “Badass Kara. It was badass, not adorable.”

Lena snorts a laugh, her heart feeling too full for words.

“Thank you Alex,” Lena whispers.

Before Alex can respond Lucy bursts through the apartment door with James and Winn on her heels, all three looking flushed and out of breath, “Game night bitches! Jesus Kara, you need to get your elevator fixed, I thought I would have to carry these two the last two flights of stairs-“ Lucy cuts herself off as she see the three women wrapped up in a warm embrace.

Her eyes narrow and Lucy licks her lips, her tone dropping down to flirtatious innuendo, “Oh, are we interrupting?”

Kara and Alex jump away with angry flushes. Alex screeching, “Eww Lucy! We’re sisters!”

Lena merely laughs happily as she surveys the strange family that she has found herself a part of. Her chest feels warm and where there was once emptiness there now resides love and family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please drop me a comment to let me know your thoughts. Kudos are always welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.


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